Dec 19, 2004

By Alex on December 19, 2004, at 2021 UTC

We’ve had a huge week doing all the stuff we have been putting off for ever. In the last couple of days we have taken off the winch bases and re-sealed them and fixed some leaks – all in the delightful warmth of a Sydney summer.

And fitted a new tiller and reinforced a perspex hatch and tested the shower curtain that we have designed to protect the electronics. Pete has made new storm boards for the companionway and – really important – a new footrest for the helmsperson, incorporating a Guinness/coffee mug holder for those unfortunates marooned in the cockpit.

And we have been experimenting with our Chinese pressure cooker, using it as a dry oven to make fruit cake and bread and damper. Works really well, and we will calibrate the metho usage on the way to Hobart if it’s not too pear-shaped outside, so we know how much of the stuff to load to get us to Port Stanley. We will put the food lists on the web as soon as we have finished buying it all.

Still to do – calibrate the instruments we replaced last week and generally tidy up the boat and start loading the race gear. We’ve done the mandatory radio check on the race frequencies, but we may still have to endure a spot safety check. Should be no problem and anyway, it’s always good value.

Then we have to start – 1310 on Boxing Day – and count ten lighthouses and turn right for the DerwentThe Derwent is a river in Tasmania, Australia. Its large estuary forms the port of Hobart.
.